Softly falling
by Maurelle
Summary: SasuNaru Naruto is the son and little brother of the top gang division detectives, and best friend of Sasuke. When Sasuke's brother kills his family in name of the new gang on the street, will Naruto be able to save his friend from himself?
1. Chapter 1

"Naruto Uzumaki! Get your ass down here! You're going to be late!" The voice rang through the too small apartment as a blonde bolted straight from his room through the front, stopping only to give the blonde girl in the kitchen a kiss on the cheek.

"Later, Ne-chan," he shouted back before slamming the door closed. He sprinted past the elevator, well aware that he couldn't waste the time it would take to wait for the conveyance. He took the stairs almost three at a time in his hurry. If he missed the bus, she wouldn't take him to school. He'd have to wait until Iruka got off to give him a ride.

He flew out the apartment building doors, and skidded to a stop in the rapidly decreasing line of high schoolers climbing into the large yellow bus. Kiba turned his head so that even though he was in front could see Naruto.

"Cutting it close today, eh?" He snickered, showing abnormally long canines. Naruto just snorted, and shoved himself into the seat next to Hinata. The girl nodded a good morning before going back to her Spanish homework. Wordlessly, he reached into his bag, pulled out his own, and thrust it at her.

"Yeah, well, at least I'm pretty sure I've figured out that calc shit," he said, shoving his homework back into Hinata's lap despite her quiet protests. Kiba's eyes bugged out, and he franticly began tearing through the black hole that was his bag. Naruto had to hide the smirk that graced his features at the others panic._ Serves the bastard right for making fun of my tardiness._

"Damnit. Ebberton is going to kill me. I haven't turned my homework in for the past week!" Kiba looked genuinely panicked at the thought of having to face his math teacher's wrath. The man may be the world's biggest Star Wars fan, and an even bigger sci-fi nerd, but he got down right evil when it came to homework. Hinata finally took Naruto's work, if only to 'check my answers', as she put it blushing cutely.

"Nice way to start the week, mutt," a cold monotone responded alerting them to the arrival of the third member of the three friends who rode the bus together. He forced his way into the space between Naruto and Kiba, taking the aisle seat. Kiba muttered darkly at his back.

"How was your weekend, bastard? Still haven't seen fit to get laid, I see," Naruto remarked on the fact that the other always seemed to have a stick up his ass. The coldly handsome boy just smirked, flipping the other the bird.

"As could be expected. Mother was off at some fashion show in Milan, and Father, of course, felt the need to see the _other one_," which caused the two boys to wince. Sasuke's life was like a demented soap opera. One wanted all the juicy details, and at the same time was horrified that this could really be going on in someone's life. Sasuke's father had had numerous affairs in the time the three had know each other, roughly since grade school, but this one was his longest to date.

"Damn. If he keeps this up it'll be all over the tabloids. And then your mother will have to leave him," Kiba said shaking his head. The Uchiha's weren't just rich, they were transplanted Japanese aristocracy. They had moved to the states after World War One, somehow managed to keep their wealth through the depression, and stayed above reproach during the Second World War. Rumors were that they had used a small fortune to stay out of the concentration camps that so many Japanese spent the war in.

"She won't. I'm pretty sure she knows what's going on, that she always has. My mother was raised very traditionally. More than likely, she sees this as an American version of a Geisha," Sasuke really didn't like his family. They were all hypocrites, and, worse, obsessed with appearances. This was why the other two had never been to his home in all the years they had known him.

"On a lighter note, Kyuubi made cookies!" Naruto said shaking the plastic sandwich bag in Sasuke's face. Kiba's lit up like a fat kid in a candy shop. Sasuke just rolled his eyes. The damn things were good as sin, which was why they were commonly referred to as crack cookies. The name was never used in her presence, though. She wasn't just Naruto's sister, she was one of the top detectives in the gang division, and as such had seen just what crack could really do to people.

Kiba snatched them as the bus lurched to a stop and the mad dash for the door began. Hinata quietly handed back Naruto's work with a soft "thank you", and Kiba proceeded to attempt to stuff his mouth full of cookies while collecting his belongings, only partially succeeding. By the time the two of them made it off the bus, Sasuke was surrounded by the three person thick throng that made up his fan club. Both rolled their eyes and dived in to save Sasuke before he left another girl in tears. There had been two last week because they had been trying to do math homework on the bus, and were reluctant to get off.

Luckily, this was avoided as another member of their friends showed up. There was a bit of mayhem as the girls tried to decided between dark beauty in front of them and the exotic red head. In the end, the two left the fan girls still deciding and followed Naruto and Kiba to the area by the stairs already filled with their other friends. Kiba, unfortunately, was still eating cookies when they walked up, resulting in a mini war with Choji, until Naruto produced his bag of cookies.

"Kill anyone interesting over the weekend?" Kiba asked the red head in a joking voice. Gaara was a rehabilitated gang member and closet mass murder. Closet because police had never been able to prove him responsible for the crimes that the streets attributed to him. There he was known simply as the sandman, or in Japanese circles Subaku. Naruto had run into him at the station, where he spent most afternoons, and, despite nearly becoming his latest victim formed a friendship that had a very positive affect on the other. The group had absorbed him, and his past was somewhat of a joke among those brave enough to talk to him.

"No. Temari says Kankuro may be annoying, but killing him won't stop him," his voice a monotone, and left the others looking at him. Normally, his answer was a simple no (they were pretty sure he didn't understand the fact that they were joking, and thus the literal answer). The fact that his sister had to come up with some kind of excuse to prevent him from going after his brother was not a good sign. He tilted his head at the looks he was receiving. "What? It was a joke. Temari says I need to acquire a sense of humor, and everyone seems to laugh at Kiba's nonsense remarks," a collective sigh was released as everyone realized that it was just a sad attempt at humor.

"Sasuke, do you want to join me for lunch?" Sakura said sweetly, trying to lean into him. She was pushed out of the way by her blonde counterpart.

"No way, forehead girl. He wants to have lunch with me," Ino snarled. Shikamaru recognized the signs of an oncoming cat fight. That and that Sasuke looked like he wanted to punch the two of them, and was seriously thinking about it, regardless of the chivalry thing.

"He eats with both of you every day," he stated in his overly bored tone. The girls blinked before turning back to one another.

"He's going to sit next to me, Ino-pig," Sakura said jabbing her finger into the other girl's collarbone. Shikamaru just rolled his eyes. Thankfully, they were saved by the ringing of the bell. Sasuke had never made it to first period so fast, except for the other times the girls started arguing, which was every other day.

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After school found Naruto doing his homework in one of the solitary rooms in booking. It had been a slow afternoon for the station, largely meaning that there was no one other than the usual suspects brought in. Naruto finished his homework and went in search of his sister. She was pouring over a file on her desk, a slight frown on her face. She was a large busted version of what Naruto looked like, everyone always talking about the family resemblance between the two.

"Whatcha looking at?" he asked sitting on the closest to a clean space on her desk. She sighed before looking at him.

"You know the gang structure around here, Naruto," she said. The other nodded.

"There's Oto on the west side, Suna on the north, MS13 in the south, with the Bloods to the east," he stated. Growing up with his sister in the gang division had given him the knowledge of the workings of the gangs within his city. His sister just shook her head.

"Not any more. The Bloods were always the weakest of the four. It seems someone has finally managed to do the deed and oust them. Meet Atatsuki," she said shoving the file towards him. He frowned looking at the paper.

"Ne-chan, there are a lot of blanks here," he said remembering how extensive her knowledge of the other gangs were. She puffed her cheeks out.

"That's the problem. Other than the name, no one knows anything about them. Even the other gangs are hush-hush about them. No one will tell us anything," she said burying her head in her hands. Naruto patted her soothingly on the back.

"You'll figure it out. Remember Suna?" he said grinning. Suna had been his sister's first real achievement in the force. She had managed to crack Gaara (with some help from Naruto of course), and thus bring Suna under control if not down. She smiled as her partner came running down the aisle between cubicles.

"Kyuubi, we've got a request from homicide. They want you there ASAP," Shizune breathed. She grabbed her keys, standing.

"Where?" she asked, already moving towards the door.

"612 Magnolia, upper east," Shizune said following her partner's example. Kyuubi froze her eyes flicking toward Naruto.

"That's…" she began, her voice thick with dread. Naruto had gone pale as a ghost.

"Sasuke…" his voice was barely a whisper. Kyuubi grabbed him by the arm and rushed out the door with him in tow. She shoved him into the back of her unmarked sedan, watching as he buckled his seatbelt out of habit. She put the light on the top of her car and screeched out of the parking lot like a bat out of hell. The route was familiar. Naruto had never been inside Sasuke's house, and neither had she, but she had often taken the boy back and forth from Naruto's apartment over the years. The mad dash felt unreal, somehow.

They were at the gates in record time, and being ushered in by the uniform posted to keep the curious out. The gravel drive crunched under the tires as they approached the mansion. It was sprawling, built to resemble a tradition Japanese manor house, the colors brightly cheerful. The reasoning behind their trip gave the house a spooky quality it had never possessed before. Two cruisers and an EVAC sat in front of the main steps, forcing her to park a little away. She got out and walked to where the EVAC sat. If someone was alive they would be there, for shock if nothing else.

The EMTs were crowded around someone. Her breath caught in her throat. _Please_, she pleaded with God, _please let that be Sasuke._ It seemed somebody was listening to her as she recognized the mop of black hair. She was stopped from rushing to the boy's side by her favorite homicide detective, Kakashi.

"He's not talking to anyone, Kyuubi. If it wasn't for the fact that we found him with his cell phone in his hand, I wouldn't have believed he was the one who made the 911 call," he said catching her attention. His voice reminded her of the fact that she had a job to do.

"How bad is it?" she asked, watching Sasuke out of the corner of her eye. Kakashi shook his head. She sucked in a breath. That was never a good sign.

"It's bad, sugar, real bad," if he was calling her that it wasn't just bad. It had to be along the lines of when the last police chief had been done in by Oto. She nodded steeling herself for what she knew she was going to have to see.

"Show me," she choked out and so he did. She entered the foyer, resisting the urge to take her shoes off. The entry was a soft pink marble just lifted off the floor like most Japanese houses. She followed him through the house, passing a kitchen and dining room. He stood next to the doorframe leading to the living room motioning her in. The second her foot hit the black carpet a sickening squelch was heard. She watched a dark liquid ooze over the toe of her high-heel for a moment before she realized what the substance was: blood. And a lot of it to soak the carpet and still be freestanding. She suppressed the urge to shutter. She kept moving forward, a smell tickling her nose. It took her a minute to figure out what it was. It was the smell of ground meat.

It wasn't until just past the couch that she saw the bodies. Or body parts to be more exact. Her emotions had shut-down at this point, and her mind made a mental note of the fact that that was likely the reason there was so much blood. The two heads, for there were only two, and this struck her as odd for some reason, were sitting on the coffee table, sightless eyes looking at where she had come in. Blood painted the wall like some demented red ink, making tiny stylized red clouds. That was likely why they had called her. Those clouds were one of the few things they knew about Atatsuki.

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Naruto followed his sister, despite Shizune's warning to stay in the car. The whole thing felt so surreal. Just like when he had lost his father. He had only been six, but he could still remember the uniforms, so like the ones his father and sister wore, the blood. God, that was the one thing that would forever haunt his dreams. His sister had never managed to get it cleaned off the wall, and in the end they had moved. His death was the reason his sister went into the gang division. Their father had been working a hit that had happened in the west district, and gotten too close it seemed.

He watched as his sister stopped to talk to another detective before going inside the building. Wasn't she going to make sure Sasuke was ok? His feet carried him to the EMTs, where he saw Sasuke sitting, staring blankly ahead. Happy that the other was not among whoever was dead in the building he rushed over and threw his arms around him.

"You're ok, you bastard," he said gaining the attention of the EMTs. He ignored them in favor of the fact that Sasuke hadn't moved, not even to throw him off. "Teme?" he said pulling away. The other turned his head to face him, but it was a moment before he focused on him.

"Naruto?" his voice was soft, not even a whisper. Naruto nodded as he reached forward and yanked him to himself. He began sobbing uncontrollably. Naruto blinked in shock for a moment, before holding him. What had happened to reduce him to tears? He let the other cry himself dry, until he was simply just holding Naruto in place.

"Naruto," he recognized his sister's voice from behind him, but couldn't turn because of Sasuke. She placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "Why don't you put Sasuke in the car? I'm going to be a while with Kakashi," she said quietly and he nodded. Naruto carefully maneuvered Sasuke back to the car without breaking his hold. They said in the car, not speaking. Naruto knew what it was like to come home to something like this, and he also knew that when Sasuke could tell what happened he would only want to do so once. He didn't know how long he sat in the car, Sasuke's head buried in the crook of his neck, before his sister and Shizune came back.

"We're going back to the station. Chief Tsunade's going to want Sasuke's statement," Naruto noticed the strain on her voice as a sign of just how bad things were inside. Sasuke just whimpered. Naruto was freakishly worried about his friend. The ride back to the station was slower, but no less surreal. He managed to get his friend into one of the interrogation rooms, but when he tried to leave (he wasn't supposed to be present for the formal stuff. He already knew he was going to get it for being at the scene), Sasuke would grab a wrist and pull him back into his seat. In the end, Tsunade had just motioned for him to stay.

"Let's just get this over with," she said placing the tape recorder on the table between them. It clicked on and she leaned forward in her chair. "Please state your name for the tape." Sasuke looked at her for the first time.

"Sasuke Uchiha," his voice was firm, but quiet. Some quality from before missing to Naruto's ears. Tsunade nodded encouragingly.

"Can you tell me what happened this afternoon, Mr. Uchiha?" her voice was firm in it's demand. There was a pause as his eyes left her face, before moving to stare at the wall over her shoulder.

"I arrived home about 3:20; the bus was a little early today. The house seemed empty when I first went in, but that was normal for the time of day. I took my shoes off at the door, and then proceeded to the living room," here he paused taking a large breath. "I noticed that the floor was wet and when I looked down," his voice cracked here, "I saw blood. So much blood. I ran further into the room to see my brother," the last word was a low growl. "My brother standing there covered in blood, a calligraphy brush in his hand. He turned to me covered in blood. He just grinned. He pulled out a katana," here he swallowed. "I'm assuming it's the one that's normally over the fireplace," he paused and Tsunade nodded to show she understood and would have someone look into it. "He said to run, and I…,I did. I was half way down the block before I realized he wasn't following me, and I called 911. You know the rest," he finished the last in a whisper. Tsunade clicked the tape off before sticking it in her pocket.

"Detective Uzumaki has agreed to let you stay at her place while things are sorted out. I took the liberty of having Detective Shizune pack some things for you to take with you," she said standing. Sasuke nodded, and the two followed her out. She handed him the duffel that had been waiting outside the door. Sasuke looked at it for a minute before taking it. She motioned them into the chairs just outside the room before going to fetch his sister. Naruto watched Sasuke for a minute as he stared at the off-white walls.

"Are you going to be ok?" he asked knowing it was stupid the moment it was out. Sasuke turned toward him, a malicious smirk twisting his features.

"I will be, dobe, I will be."

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The return home was quiet. Sasuke said very little, barely answering any of the questions that were asked of him. Naruto however was more concerned with the way that Sasuke had answered his question. He had never seen a look so devoid of sanity. It both scared him and left him excited at the same time. He had never Sasuke so focused on something. He had wanted to ask him what he had meant, but had been interrupted by the arrival of his sister.

It was close to midnight by the time they made it to the apartment. Kyuubi slid her key into the lock, swaying on her feet. Two-and-a-half inch heels were not meant to be worked in for the amount of time she had. The door opened with a welcome click, and the three slid in. There was a pause as she looked for the light switch, which was want to stick. The light cam on, and nearly had Kyuubi reaching for the gun that rested just under her left arm.

"Gaara, damnit, what have I told you about sneaking into the house while we're gone?" she hissed in annoyance. Indeed, Gaara sat three feet away in the hall, blocking their path. His eyes opened as the words left her mouth. He just shrugged, as they took off their shoes. Kyuubi was clearly worn out and frustrated by her day, as she just walked around Gaara glaring at his calm form. "Just be sure to lock the door after yourself," she said in a huff.

"Is there something I can help you with, Gaara?" Naruto asked. Gaara had often broken into their house during the period they had been investigating Suna. Sometimes he came with a purpose, other times it was simply to get away from his house. He would come and just sit somewhere, normally on the living room couch, all night, and be gone by the time that they left the next day.

"Is it true?" his question was directed over his shoulder to Sasuke, who paused in the process of placing his shoes in the cubby hole that they had assigned him from the time he was four, and old enough to come over. His entire back went rigid. "Ah, so then it was you brother," Gaara said in the same monotone he always spoke in. The way his head was tilted to the side suggested that he was thinking about it, however. He rose with the deadly grace he was often known for, moving for the door. He stopped as Sasuke's had flew out just inches in front of him.

"How?" he hissed it through his teeth. Gaara stared at the arm as through trying to decide whether he should obey it or not.

"That is a big question, Uchiha," he said softly deciding to ignore the presence of the arm and concentrate on the oak of the door instead.

"How do you know? Tsunade said she had a 24 hour gag order on the media," Sasuke wasn't looking at the other, thus he missed the twisted smile that played on the other's face.

"They wanted the others to know. They sent us pictures," Sasuke removed his hand and slumped against the wall. Gaara opened the door, and turned to look at the other two, Naruto had moved so that he supported the other partially. "Come to me when you wish to start it, Uchiha. I'll be waiting." He was out the door before he had a chance to reply. A soft click was heard as he locked the door with a technique that neither of the siblings had ever figured out.


	2. Chapter 2

**a/n: thank you to everyone who reviewed. I'm glad to** **see that everyone liked the beginning. I'm afraid that this chapter may come across as filler, but trust me it isn't. It's just emotional set up between Naruto and Sasuke. Oh, and I forgot the disclaimer in the last chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I own not Naruto, save for the plushie my friend made me. But he really doesn't count.**

Sasuke woke in the middle of the night to the snores of his best friend, wondering if he had managed to once again convince him to partake in a after midnight bowl of ramen. The nightmare he had just had was atrocious, and had him wanting to layoff the food altogether. He turned his head towards his best friend, frowning as he noted the date on his alarm clock. His parents never let him stay over on a weekday. His frown deepened as he tried to remember what the two had spent the evening doing, and could only come up with his dream. He sat up straight, waking Naruto with the jerking motions on the bed.

"Teme?" it was groggy, but had Sasuke looking down at him. His eyes were half closed and he couldn't help but notice how normal he looked. Just like he always looked when he woke up in the morning. Was the world mocking him? How could anything be normal again?

"Shut up, Naruto. Go back to sleep," he said hands removing the shared blanket. Naruto just looked at for a moment concerned. "It's two in the morning, dobe," his voice was soft as he rose. Naruto rolled over, brain fractionally registering the fact that the normal straight through the night sleeper of his friend was getting up after only two hours worth of actual sleep.

Sasuke left the room, heading for the kitchen. He knew that sleep was not going to be his friend this night. To his surprise, he found the lights on in the kitchen, Kyuubi sitting at the small table they used. Papers littered the table, leaving very little of it's pale wood surface visible. She also had a tumbler full of hot coffee in one hand. She looked up as he walked in.

"What are you doing out of bed?" her voice was hoarse, and a frown on her face. He said nothing, reaching into the cabinet for a mug. He knew where everything was in the kitchen having spent as much time in this house as his own. He put the kettle on for tea.

"Why?" he said softly to himself. It was a moment before He realized the Kyuubi was listening to him, and wanted him to explain himself. "Why does the world go on? Was it always this heartless? My entire universe has been put on it's head, and, yet, people on going on with their lives like nothing happened. They're completely oblivious to the fact that to my suffering," he stopped as the kettle whistled, ignoring the burning in his eyes, and the tightening of his throat. Kyuubi gave him a sad smile.

"I've been asking that question myself for years. And all I've learned is the hard truth: life goes on. It's doesn't stop for anything. We could all disappear and the world would keep turning," she was behind him now. She put a hand on his shoulder. "But that doesn't mean that it hurts any less. The pain never goes away. It's like loosing a limb. Sometimes you'll have good days, and some days will make hell seem like a walk in the park." Sasuke shrugged off her hand.

"It will go away," his voice was firm, scary in it's intensity. "I know how to make it go away." She smiled indulgently at him. It was better for him to believe whatever he needed to in order to deal with his grief. She remembered what it was like dealing with the loss of her father and the fact that she was all her little brother had now. She had clung to the thought of bringing down her father's killers. They were still at large, but she had come to peace with the fact that not all crimes get solved. Hell, she wondered what she would keep fighting for if they ever managed to catch them.

"Go to bed, Sasuke. Shizune will call the school in the morning and explain everything to them. You and Naruto can take the day off," she took the half full glass from his hands, and gave him a slight push to the door. "Just be sure to keep him from having a fit once he realizes that he'll be missing the in school basketball game." Sasuke smirked. He knew better than to tell her the entire reason he had been looking forward to it in the first place was so he could skip and go paintballing with Kiba. She'd have a royal fit. Thinking about Kiba made him frown. How were his other friends going to take things? Hell, how were they going to find out?

"Don't worry. I've called Iruka, and he's made sure that the media isn't going to be the one to break the news to your friends. I just don't want everyone lounging around here, got it?" she told his back. He blinked, having forgotten the fact that she always thought of everything when it came to stuff like this.

"Thanks," he said before disappearing into the hallway. Tomorrow was going to be hell.

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Naruto woke to the sound of his cell vibrating on the nightstand. Sighing he sat up and reached over Sasuke's sleeping form for it. He blinked seeing Sakura's name listed on the caller I.D. He flipped it open, and croaked a greeting, trying to be quiet for Sasuke's sake. The bastard had had one hell of a day yesterday.

"Moshi, moshi," the Japanese greeting slipped out.

"Naruto, damnit, close the blinds," Sakura yelled into the phone. He stood and got out of bed, closing the blinds that were across the room before it occurred to him who was demanding what from where.

"How the hell do you know about the state of my blinds?" He walked past Sasuke, who was watching him curiously from the bed, having awoken when the other had gotten out of bed, reaching for some pants. He normally only slept in his boxers, and just because Sasuke was here he didn't make an exception.

"Idiot, there are like a hundred news crews camped out in front of your apartment building right now," Sakura's voice was loud enough for Sasuke to follow the conversation, and his eyes grew to the size of saucers realizing what she had just implied. Naruto lived on the fourth floor, but there was another apartment building right next to where his window faced and he was level with that building's fourth floor as well. The old lady who lived there was nosy as hell, and had probably let the reporters use her window as somewhere to get a picture from. Damn the fact that this country was obsessed with celebrities.

"Fuck," he said wondering just what they were thinking if they had seen the two of them in bed. They had been sleeping in the same bed since they were six. He knew that other people thought it was weird. Hell, Kiba had asked some embarrassing questions after he had spent the night with the other two for a class project.

"Don't feel bad. They are camped out in front of the school, too" she said as he switched her to speaker after Sasuke had gotten up and tried to find himself some clothes. Sasuke glared at the phone forgetting that his friend couldn't see it through the phone.

"Please tell me none of you are talking to them," Naruto translated setting the phone back on the nightstand. Sasuke pulled on his black night pants, he preferred to sleep in his own boxers as well normally, and wouldn't have even had his pajama pants if it wasn't for Shizune's packing.

"No. Kiba punched out a reporter that was trying to harass Hinata. Some of the other asses at school told them that we are Sasuke's friends, so the principle sent us home. They tried to mob us on the way out. That's how I knew about your window. The whole thing is plastered all over the news stations. BBC, CNN, everybody. It's, um, really weird," she said unaware that Sasuke was listening in on the conversation. "Hey, is Gaara there with you? He never came to school, but that could just be because of the reporters. Kankuro called and said he hadn't seen him since last night." Sasuke and Naruto shared a look.

"He's not here," he said. If he was going to tell anyone about the fact that Gaara had come by last night it would be his family. Not Sakura, even if she was worried. "How's everyone else?" Naruto wanted to make sure that everyone managed to make it home without have to resort to killing any of the reporters. Kiba had already punched one.

"They're fine. They mostly are just worried about Sasuke," a voice was heard calling on the other end of the phone. "I have to go. Tell Sasuke that we're here if he needs anything. Later." She waited to hear the good-bye from Naruto before hanging up. Naruto did the same, and turned to look at Sasuke, only to find him staring at the wall like it held all the secrets to life.

"Teme?" he got no response, so he waved his hand in front of his eyes. "TEME!" Sasuke jerked and looked at him. "It's 10:30, I think we

should eat something. How does leftover pizza sound?" Sasuke just grunted, which Naruto took to be a yes. Sasuke had never been the most talkative person in the universe before hand, so he wasn't really worried about the lack of communication on the other's part.

He walked into the kitchen, pulling out the left over pizza from two nights ago. He began munching on a piece frozen while he shoved the rest into the microwave. Sasuke just sat at the table and stared at the plants hanging over the sink. They were bright green and healthy looking. Somehow the fact that those plants could be alive while his parents were not offended him. He rose and gripped the delicate chain that held them above the sink.

"Sasuke, what are you doing?" Naruto asked grabbing his wrist and tilting his head slightly at the other. Sasuke blinked and wondered what he was doing. The microwave went off in the background.

"I was just going to water them," he said lamely. Naruto shook his head at him, before releasing his wrist and going to get the pizza.

"They were watered yesterday, teme. If you water them too much they'll die," Sasuke blinked at Naruto's words. He followed him over to the table, placing his hand above the cooling pizza to check the temperature. Naruto had long since burned his taste buds off, but Sasuke had no intention of doing so. The sound of the door opening brought the two boys out of their previous funk.

"Naruto?" they both recognized the sound of Iruka's voice. The man had been like a father figure to Naruto since he had lost his own, and always worked the shift opposite that of his sister so that he never had to worry about being stuck at home by himself. He didn't work in the gang division, however, but in juvie, thus giving him access to children like Gaara that he would try to help. He appeared in the doorway, looking like he hadn't slept in months. "What are you doing?"

"Eating breakfast," he said around a mouth full of very hot pizza. Iruka just frowned. "HEY! How did you manage to get around the war zone out there?" Iruka sat on one of the chairs, a blush creeping up his face.

"Um…Well, you know me. I have ways," he said avoiding eye contact with the two boys. Sasuke just snorted.

"You climbed up the fire escape, didn't you? You're lucky that Jiraya likes Naruto so much," it was a well known fact that the fire escapes were a good way of sneaking in or out of the apartment building, but the price was that you had to do something for Jiraya, an old pervert who lived on the second floor. He had been letting Naruto sneak out for free for years, and it seemed had extended the courtesy to his guardians.

"It wasn't free," was the barely audible mumble. Naruto's eyes got to the size of saucers.

"What did he want?" Naruto asked having heard horror stories from some of the girls in the building. Iruka tried to sink into the chair.

"He wants me to give an unedited copy of his latest novel to Kakashi, so he can see if it's up to par," Naruto rolled his eyes at the closest thing to a father figure he had.

"At least he didn't ask you to take off your clothes and strike an embarrassing pose," Naruto said recalling one of the neighbor's stories. Iruka shuddered.

"Yeah, well, let's hope not, because your sister wants the two of you to come down to the station. Sasuke has some things he needs to take care off, and because of the fact that Kyuubi is his current guardian she has to be there, too. We'll be needing to go out through that pervert's window to avoid the press," They frowned at him. Never one of them was properly clad. "We can wait for you two to change, but the showers are going to have to be very quick." They nodded, putting the now empty plates into the sink to be cleaned later.

They gathered clothes in Naruto's room, and Naruto tossed him a towel, as they walked to the bathroom. The two of them would be showering together by silent agreement. They hadn't done so since they were in fifth grade and got the 'talk'. Kyuubi had been too embarrassed, and Sasuke's father never had the time, so she had gotten Kakashi to do it. It had been a very thorough talk that left them uncomfortable with each other for weeks afterward. Who would've thought that two men could do _that_.

"Let's get this over with, dobe," Sasuke said turning on the water so it would be at temperature by the time they finished undressing. Naruto nodded and untied the drawstring that held his pants up. When he looked up, Sasuke was already as bare as the day he was born. Naruto was pleased to note that he had no scars to mar his perfect alabaster flesh. He was still taller than him by a good inch, and far too slim for it to be anything but genetic with the way he ate. Sasuke turned from where he was testing the water to find Naruto staring at him. "Dobe?" He asked, gaining a slight blush from the other as he realized he had been caught.

Sasuke looked at his first and only real friend for a moment before pulling up on the spicket, forcing the water to come out through the shower head. He had always been jealous of the fact that Naruto's mixed blood allowed for him to keep a slight tan year round. That and those gorgeous blue eyes. Eyes that put the sapphire in his mother's favorite pair of earrings to same. He winced, thinking about the woman who had meant so much to him. He got in, hearing the shower curtain creak, as Naruto followed him after. They went about their business, ignoring each other and any accidental brushing of limbs as they reached for the same toiletries. Finished the two dressed, not a word spoken as Naruto tried to think of some way to comfort his best friend. He knew Sasuke was hurting even if he did his best to cover it up.

"Sasuke, you know that you can talk to me, right?" Naruto said stopping by the shelves next to the doorway to get his tennis shoes. Sasuke looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course, dobe. What do you think I'm doing?" he said it like it was some kind of joke. Naruto frowned at him, knowing that he was trying to brush him off.

"Teme, that's not what I mean and you know it. I'm worried about you," he knew that people grieved in different ways, but Sasuke seemed to just be ignoring it. And that was far from healthy behavior. Sasuke looked at him from were he had been lacing up his own shoes. His face was carefully blank, but his eyes. Those eyes scared the living shit out of Naruto. They were dead, cold, blank.

"There is nothing to talk about, Naruto. He killed them. He will pay," even his voice was frighteningly normal. Naruto shivered and opened his mouth to ask what he meant by pay, but was cut off by Iruka sticking his head out into the hall from where he had been doing dishes.

"You two ready, yet?" he asked drying his hands on a dish towel. They nodded, the moment gone just as quickly as it had come. They left, Naruto being sure to lock the door behind him. They walked down the hall four doors, before coming to the one they wanted. Iruka knocked, his face showing that he clearly did not want to be anywhere near the door, or it's owner.

"What the hell do you want?" the grumpy white haired man said glaring at the three standing in front of his door. Naruto smiled at him.

"We need to leave, ero-sannin," Naruto said slipping under his arm and into the apartment. It was small, and full of little nick-knacks that had no real purpose. The others followed him through the door. Jiraya stood off to one side frowning. "You know my policy about the fire escape, brat," he was clearly not happy that there were so many people using his apartment at the moment.

"Come on, it's for Kyuubi. She needs us to get to the station soon. Sasuke-teme has to fill out paperwork," Naruto said. Jiraya turned toward Naruto's companions, eyes narrowing.

"So you're the one," he looked like he had just hit the jackpot. "You want to use the fire escape then I want a picture of him," he pointed to Sasuke, "shirtless." Sasuke snorted, and Iruka looked like he was going to have a fit, while Naruto had eyes the size of saucers.

"Now see here, Mr. Sannin, that can be considered soft core porn, especially if you are planning to use it for one of your perverted books," Iruka began, the inner police officer coming out. Jiraya just rolled his eyes.

"It's called research, and if you want to use my window to get on the fire escape you'll do it. I could always let the press in from downstairs," he looked angry at the tone that Iruka had used. Naruto gasped.

"You wouldn't," he said. Jiraya gave him a looked that said clearly _watch me_. Sasuke just sighed, and began taking his shirt off.

"Let's get this over with," he standing, shirt in one hand. Jiraya disappeared for a moment into the living room, and reappeared a moment later with a digital camera. One snapshot later they were climbing down the rickety metal stairs that made up the apartment's fire escape.

"Why did you do that, teme?" Naruto asked as they walked slightly back from Iruka who wanted to make sure that the escape could hold their weight, and as such had gone ahead. Sasuke shrugged.

"We really need to get to the station, and I have no intention of dealing with the media right now. They're a bunch of buzzards," he said as he went down the ladder that ended a few feet above the ground in the alley between the two buildings. Naruto followed suit, wondering what had gotten into his normally modest friend.


	3. Chapter 3

**a/n: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Reviews make me happy. I'm sorry it took so long between updates, and that this is kinda short. I know where this is going, and this was the only place that made sense to stop at. So enjoy, minna!**

Naruto couldn't help the fact that he really wanted to hurt the man sitting across from him, Sasuke, and his ne-chan. He was old, looked like death that had been warmed over in a low wattage microwave, and worst of all he seemed to hate the fact that he was going to be taking orders from a 17, soon to be 18, year old kid. Naruto couldn't fathom why Sasuke was putting up with the lawyer's bullshit, other than the fact that the man had been the family's lawyer for two generations. He was frickin' ancient.

"Naturally, your parents have left you everything. Would you like to hear the specifics?" he paused and Sasuke shook his head no. He wasn't really interested in just how rich he was going to be after taxes. "They left a request to be cremated, and buried in the family mausoleum. I assume that this is how you wish to arrange things?" Sasuke glared at the man's tone. He could at least be more sympathetic. Sasuke just nodded, and the lawyer made a note. "I'll have someone from the funeral home contact you as soon as they are able. They should be able to help you sort out the arrangements."

"Is that everything?" Kyuubi asked standing as the man did. He didn't like the fact that the only place they had been able to conduct the meeting was in an empty interrogation room, and had been trying to leave for some time. He nodded and shook her hand and Sasuke's ignoring Naruto completely.

"You should have access to the accounts in a few days. Until then, I would not recommend trying to withdraw money. It might confuse the bank and make the process longer. Good day," he said stiffly leaving. Sasuke glared at his back and made himself a mental note to change law firms when it came time to handle his own arrangements. Kyuubi put her hand on his shoulder, and squeezed before heading back towards her office. The two boys went sit in one of the small conference rooms that where empty. They were only used when the station had to give a press conference of some kind, so it was one of the few places that Naruto could go and not have to worry about being attacked by an escapee or getting in trouble for being were he was not supposed to.

"Sasuke, about earlier, what did you mean by punished?" he had a sick feeling that it had little to do with the system of the law like his sister meant when she spoke about punishing those who had killed their father. But what had really scared him was the way he had looked when he spoke. The lack of emotion was terrifying. Sasuke didn't wear his emotions on his sleeves the way Naruto did, but that didn't mean that he was not easy to read if you knew how. And after all the years the two had spent in each other's company, Naruto knew exactly how to read his best friend. Sasuke stared at the wall just above Naruto's head.

"I want him dead, dobe," even with the nickname it was emotionless. Naruto shuddered. "I want to see his blood coating my hands, feel his pulse ebb, and watch as the life leaks out of his eyes." The grin on his face at the thought looked like one Naruto had seen on Gaara's face after they had found him standing over his father's corpse. He reached out and grabbed his friend's shoulder, intent on shaking some sense into him. He was interrupted by the door opening. Gaara stood there in the same clothes he had worn yesterday, only now there were rips and tears, and, oh, God, was that blood?

"Where's Kyuubi?" he asked as thought there was nothing wrong with his appearance. Sasuke watched him, his words from the night before echoing in his head. He figured that he had learned something, and that was why he was looking for Naruto's sibling. Whatever he had learned, Sasuke wanted to know.

"She should be in her office. Why? Does it have something to do with the fact that you didn't go home last night? Cause Sakura called and said Temari and Kankuro were worried about you," Naruto said frowning in disapproval. Gaara paid him no mind and spun on heel. He was out the door before Naruto and Sasuke started moving. They followed him through the hallway, ignoring the curious looks they were getting from the other's appearance. Gaara was known in the station, but he never showed up looking anything other than like a normal person. Or as normal as someone like him got. They entered the small room that his sister and Shizune had been given for an office. Kyuubi sat at the computer, a frown on her face. She turned as they came in.

"Gaara?" she said clearly surprised by both his presence and his appearance. He moved so he stood right in front of her desk.

"Warehouse 12, the docks on the southside." He said simply. Kyuubi blinked at him.

"What?" She said trying to get him to elaborate. Sometimes he would and other times he wouldn't. It really depended on how he was feeling at the moment. They had learned how to take what he said and go with it when he did so.

"The Atatsuki. They've made their move on MS13. I'm pretty sure they managed to get all the top people. If you hurry you might make it before the place stops smoking," he said it like he was talking about the weather. Indifferent to the fact that based on what they knew about the local gang, over twelve people were dead. Kyuubi grabbed her keys, phone dialing Shizune's number. The other woman was in forensics at the other end of the building. It would be faster if she met her there. She was out the door, tossing Naruto her office key.

They sat in her office awkward after she had left. Sasuke kept looking at Gaara like he held the secrets of life. He wondered what else the other knew and how he had managed to find out information like that faster than the cops. He would need that information if he was planning on getting to his brother. Naruto, however, was concerned for his friend. He knew Gaara would not seek any kind of help even if he was dying. One time he had been shot, and no knew for three days. He had passed out on their couch one evening and never woken up. His sister had damn near killed him herself, once the medics got him stabilized.

"Are you ok, Gaara?" he asked the other watching him closely for any sign of pain. The other just looked at him like he was crazy. Naruto felt the need to defend him self, and opened his mouth to do so, when the door opened revealing the medical examiner. He was young, his sister's age, with silver hair from a genetic curse and small round glasses. He blinked seeing them all in the office and no Kyuubi.

"Umm," he said, before his eyes found Naruto. "This is for your sister," he handed him a large manila envelope. "It's the full report. I'll be releasing the bodies to the funeral home as soon as I get a name." Naruto nodded, adding the file to the rather large mess that was his sister's desk. He took a post it note and stuck it to the outside of the envelope with _new_ written in messy handwriting. Kabuto watched Sasuke for a second as though trying to decide something. He shook his head and left.

"Be careful, Uchiha. With your brother shaping up to be a prized assassin, the other gangs will be after you," Gaara said as he turned to go. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the other's back.

"Is that a threat?" he hissed, clenching his fists. The other boy shrugged, before walking down the hallway. He sat roughly on the single chair in front of the desk, a frown on his face. Naruto closed the office door, and sat on the edge of the desk facing Sasuke.

"He's just trying to help," Naruto said softly. Sasuke just glared at him. He could not understand. He had seen the way he had looked as he told him what he wanted to do to his brother. He did not think that Naruto would stop him, but he wouldn't help either. He would have to keep his plans from the one person he wanted to talk to the most about it. And now it seemed that he was the target of every recruiting gang in the city.

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By the time Kyuubi reached the warehouse, it was gone. The only thing left marking it as having once been a building was the ankle high pile of metal debris that was still smoldering. The firemen were walking casually though it, looking for hotspots. That, however, was not what caught her eye as she got out of her car. No, it was the red clouds spray painted on the concrete surrounding the building. They reminded her of other red clouds she had seen just the day before. With a shudder she walked over to the chief standing next to the fire truck.

"Has arson shown up yet?" she asked the large man. He was taller than her by a good two feet, and well muscled. He grinned at her, showing teeth that were oddly point from a freakish genetic quirk. He shook his head at her.

"No. Hell, we haven't even called the cops yet, Ms. Uzimaki," he said simply. She grinned at him. Zabuza was good at his job: fighting fires. However, he never called the other people unless something demanded it. No ambulances until they had found more injured than they could take care of. No cops unless they found evidence of a body or something. It was just the way he was.

"Call them," she said as Shizune pulled up. She nodded to her partner and they began interviewing the few workers that had stayed at the scene after the fire was over. It was going to be a long evening.


	4. Chapter 4

**a/n: Thank you to my only reviewer for last chapter: Ichihime. This chapter just kept going. I thought I'd never get to the stopping point. tears but on with the story**

Dinner found Naruto, Sasuke and Kyuubi around the small table in their kitchen eating Italian take-out from down the way. Naruto had managed to con his sister in to getting him plain fettuccini since he could not get ramen, while Sasuke had settled for a carpese salad, which consisted of freshly sliced tomatoes and shredded mozzarella cheese with a little bit of olive oil. Kyuubi was more interested in compiling a list of suspects that matched the description she managed to get from the witnesses at the warehouse on her laptop than in eating at the moment. The man who had planted the explosives was white, with long blonde hair. There were not many people in the city who knew that much about explosives, so she was having a hard time coming up with someone who matched the description. There was always the chance that they had hired someone from outside the city, but that did not match the little she knew of their MO.

Sasuke finished his salad fast, not really hungry, but knowing better than to go with!out. Naruto would notice and stuff his face with things he did not like if he showed any sign of not eating. He rose and put his plate in the sink, before walking into the living room. It was modest like everything in the apartment, but he still felt more at home here than he ever did in the large mansion that he been his mailing address since his birth. Thinking about the house caused his blood to boil. He knew that his family was dysfunctional, but that was no excuse to kill them. They were good to each other in their own way. Maybe his father had never spoke more than two words at a time to him, and maybe his mother was more concerned with the latest fashion than in what had happened in his life, but he knew they still loved him. Itachi may be his brother, but now he was nothing more than an enemy he had to eliminate in order to continue on with his life. Or not. He could die happy knowing that the other would never see the light of day.

Naruto walked in and frowned at his friend's face. He now knew what his best friend was thinking about, and it chilled him. The idea that two brothers could come to this, even if one had done something unforgivable was completely foreign to him. He tried to imagine what it would be like to find out that Kyuubi had killed their father, and found the idea so absurd that he could not do it. He figured it was something that you had to have happen to you in order to really understand.

Trying to shake the thoughts from his head, he turned on the TV to find the local news on. A female reporter stood in front of the apartment complex, and was replaying a tape from earlier showing the three of them heading in to the apartments. Sasuke looked like he was trying to kill the reporters via death glare, and Naruto just looked livid. Kyuubi looked emotionless and made sure to stand between the reporters and her charges. The scene looked odd to the two of them, as only seeing yourself on TV could. The reporter then began to tell what she knew of the case.

"The only survivor of what the police are calling the Uchiha massacre, Sasuke Uchiha, is currently staying with longtime family friend, detective Kyuubi Uzumaki. She is known for her work on the Suna gang, and this has led us to believe that the killings are somehow related to her work," Sasuke snorted and rolled his eyes. It did not take a genius to figure something like that out. He started as something over her shoulder caught his eye. Two figures stood there, clad in long black coats despite the mid May heat, red clouds that he remembered from yesterday covering them.

"Naruto, hit the record button," he said standing up so he could go fetch the other's sister. Naruto looked confused, but did as he was told. Sasuke ran into the kitchen. "Kyuubi-chan, there is something on the TV you need to see." She looked at him over the top of her screen, one eyebrow raised in curiosity. "NOW." She followed him, wondering what could cause him to go into such frenzy. Seeing the black haired reporter from their mad dash into the apartment building she thought he may just be angry about the fact that reporters were harassing him. He seemed to be looking for something on the screen, however, and after not finding it, snatched the remote from Naruto's hands. He glared as Sasuke hit the rewind button.

"Sasuke, I know that you hate the amount of attention you're getting, but that is really necessary to the case. We need to keep Itachi's picture in the media, so the public does not forget, and they can call us if they see him," she began seeing nothing special about the picture even after he had rewound it. He made a sound of frustration in his throat, and paused the TV.

"I don't care about the damn reporter!" he hissed pointing at something over her shoulder. "Look!" She followed his finger, and two seconds later was looking for a blank disk she could burn the show on to. Atatsuki never showed it's face on purpose. That was part of what made them so hard to track. She was betting that they did not realize that they had been seen in the reporter's segment, scoping out her apartment. Naruto was just confused by it all. He had not seen the red clouds at the Uchiha's mansion, and had no idea that they were connected.

"What's so special about a couple of freaks in black coats?" he asked the other two. Kyuubi had managed to dig out an old DVD of one of her co-workers weddings, and was recording over it. She looked over her shoulder at her brother.

"You remember that file I showed you on Atatsuki?" she asked, and seeing him nod, continued. "The red clouds are the Atatsuki symbol, the same way the hourglass is for Suna and the music note is for Oto." He nodded to show understanding. The gangs were not full of the smartest people in the world, so they had to develop a system to tell one another apart in a fight. They did this by wearing their gang's symbol on their clothing, or, in extreme cases, by getting the symbol tattooed on their body. Kankuro had the Suna hourglass tattooed on his cheek, just under his left eye. His father had him do it when he was twelve years old, and he could hardly just wash it off.

That made the two people Sasuke had been looking at members of Atatsuki. Naruto shivered at the thought. They knew where he lived. They knew where Kyuubi lived. He knew how dangerous that was. Gangs never liked it when detectives began investigating them, and when a gang did not like something that someone was doing they killed them. That was why his father was dead, and why the last police chief was dead. He knew that there was a chance that they would come after Kyuubi if they felt that she was a threat. The very idea made him sick. He knew that it would not persuade his sister to leave the matter alone, and he did not want her to stop looking for the gang that had seen Sasuke's family dead, but he still did not want her hurt.

Kyuubi pocketed the DVD and closed the top of her computer, before shoving it into her bag. She had to get the images to the crime lab. She needed the pictures blown up and in the database as soon as possible. This lead was too hot to pass up. She grabbed her keys from the hook in the hallway, stopping long enough to tell the two she was heading back to the station. She closed and locked the door, mind moving faster than her body could keep up with. She knew that it was not a good thing that they were trying to find where Sasuke was. She did not think that they would want to finish the job so soon. The thought that they could be after her or Naruto never even crossed her mind.

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Naruto watched his sister leave, happy that they now had a face to some of the Atatsuki members. Maybe they would even be in the FBI database that Kyuubi had access to. That would give them some names. Naruto turned to express his joy at Sasuke's observation skills, only to catch him frowning at his clasped hands. He looked so depressed, hunched over as he was, with his bangs covering his eyes. But, somehow, he managed to make it look ungodly beautiful. Naruto imagined he looked the same as a fallen angel contemplating the heaven he had lost. He blinked, frowning at himself. He had not just thought that. Sasuke was his friend, his best friend. Not only that, but he was currently going through hell. Even if, god forbid, he wanted to think of him like that, he knew better than to start something with him in this state.

Sasuke did not notice Naruto watching him. He was lost in his own world, trying to figure out if he had ever seen either one of those two people before. He had never really paid that much attention to his brother's comings and goings, and even less attention to whom he was with. If it was not for the fact that his father had started staying up late to confront his brother about his habits, he would not have known anything about when he was gone. Their relationship had not been very good the last few years. Largely, Sasuke had thought, because of the fact that his brother was in college now, and slowly taking over the running of their father's import/export business. Now he had to wonder if he had even still been in college, or if it was just a cover for other activities. How much of what he had known of his brother was a lie?

He was startled out of his thought by the phone ringing next to Naruto, on the side table. Naruto reached for it, and picked it up. He frowned for a second before slamming it back down. Sasuke blinked at the violent reaction out of his friend. What had the person on the other end of the phone said? Naruto noticed the fact that Sasuke was staring at him, and gave him a goofy grin.

"It was a reporter. I don't know how they managed to get this number, it's unlisted. Don't worry, though, we can just unplug the phone. Kyuubi has my cell number," Naruto said yanking the cord before Sasuke could stop him. The result was the phone cord splitting in half. Sasuke groaned, and carefully helped the other pull the part still connected to the wall out. Naruto held the two pieces, one in each hand, and looked at them miserably. "Nee-chan is going to kill me," he grumbled. He painted such a picture sitting there like that, trying to get the two pieces to come back together that Sasuke could not help the smirk that crossed his face.

"Don't worry, dobe. I doubt that," Sasuke said watching as hope lit up his friend's face. "She's just going to take off a limb or two." He dodged the friendly punch headed towards him, heading for Naruto's room. It had been eight in the evening before they had left the station, and was now close to eleven. While he was not going to school in the morning (neither was Naruto, Kyuubi did not want to leave Sasuke alone in the house), he knew it would be a good idea to get some sleep. Naruto followed him, grumbling under his breath about bastards and electricity.

"I'm going to take a shower," Naruto told Sasuke, grabbing a towel and clean pair of boxers. Sasuke nodded, sorting through his duffel bag for a clean pair himself. Naruto left the room, humming happily to himself. Sasuke shook his head and began to change, emptying out his jean pockets as he went. He placed his cell phone next to Naruto's on his night stand, before crawling into the bed. He had made sure the curtains were closed earlier. He remembered the picture the reporter had shown of him and Naruto on one of the less reputable news shows from the station. They had even had a 'shrink' show up and try to explain why he had done it. He snorted at the memory. He had claimed it was an unconscious need for comfort that had driven him into the other teen's bed. That or they were involved.

Lying on the side of the bed that he normally claimed he wondered just why it was that he always slept there. It had been cute when he was little and did not know any better. Now…Now he did it from habit, he guessed. Somehow the idea of spending the night at Naruto's and not sleeping in his bed was unthinkable. Kind of like Kyuubi becoming a housewife. Not going to happen. However, hearing the man talk about him like that, had him wondering a bit at the relationship he shared with the blonde. They were comfortable with each other to the extreme. He would do things around Naruto that he would never think of doing around Itachi, even before they began to split. He frowned at the direction his thoughts were going. If he and Naruto weren't like brothers, then what the hell were they? He started at the sound of his ring tone, before grabbing the phone. He did not bother looking at the caller ID, before flipping it open. Whoever was calling him was so dead.

"What?" he snapped. A soft chuckle made itself know, and he felt ice slide through his veins.

"Is that any way to talk to your older brother?" He froze, mind blanking for a moment at the voice. He recovered quickly, ignoring the fact that his hand was trembling holding the phone to his ear.

"I have no brother. He's dead and he just doesn't know it yet," Sasuke said back, his voice colder and steadier than he felt. There was a pause on the other end of the line.

"Big words, Sasu-chan," his voice was like molding silk, beautiful and decaying. "Can you back them up? Or will you run like a scared little boy?" Sasuke growled.

"What do you want?" he asked, struggling not to just flip the phone closed and end the conversation.

"Warehouse 26, southside. Use the maintenance entrance." The line clicked dead, and Sasuke was up throwing his clothes back on. Naruto came in, toweling his hair as he went. He stopped, seeing Sasuke's mad dash to get dressed. Confused he stood in the doorway, unconsciously blocking Sasuke's exit.

"Sasuke?" he asked tilting his head to the side. Sasuke barely spared him a glance before he was inches away from him.

"Move," he said simply, not wanting to hurt his friend, but knowing he had to answer his brother's call.

"Where are you going?" he asked, eyes narrowing. He knew something was going on. He was not half as stupid as people made him out to be.

"Out," Sasuke said doing his best to avoid his friend's question without lying to him.

"Like hell you are, teme. I bet you're going to try to find your brother," Naruto growled. He was not going to let his friend do something that suicidal without a fight. Sasuke steeled himself for what he was going to do. He had taken martial arts for years, because his family had wanted him to learn about their culture. Part of that training had included pressure points. Like lighting he brought his hand down against the side of his neck. Naruto crumpled like a puppet with his strings cut. Sasuke moved him to the bed carefully, before running out the door. He had wasted so much time with Naruto.


End file.
